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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by River1924 on July 28, 2006, at 1:00:48
A coworker has a history of sleep paralysis shortly after waking up (ie hypnopompic paralysis.)
Latetly, she has told me she has dreamed of being thirsty and waking up the next day with empty ice trays on the counter, the faucet running. Recenty she has beening finding the clothes she went to sleep in all over the house. She wonders if she has been outside because she will wake with mud on her feet. Her seven year old daugher states she found her mom in the living room walking in circles during the night and that she led her mom back to bed.
She's been under a lot of strain. She works 12 hour days for two or three weeks in a row. Her husband can not see her (and hasn't so far, thank god.) He is charged with domestic abuse. She woke up with him on top of her as he choked her to unconsciousness three or four times. A week later he called the police when he cut her legs with butcher knives and said they had better come before he killed her. (Note: he called the police, not her.... probably the only good thing he has done.)
On top of this, she probably has been drinking too much because she has trouble falling asleep. (She hasn't done that as much lately.)She also began zoloft in the last five weeks.
Until the stress is reduced and he goes to prison (I hope), what is her best bet about the sleep walking? Stress can make sleep disorders worse. What can make them better?
River.
Posted by silvercoin on July 28, 2006, at 8:04:22
In reply to sleep walking... domestic abuse, posted by River1924 on July 28, 2006, at 1:00:48
> A coworker has a history of sleep paralysis shortly after waking up (ie hypnopompic paralysis.)
>
> Latetly, she has told me she has dreamed of being thirsty and waking up the next day with empty ice trays on the counter, the faucet running. Recenty she has beening finding the clothes she went to sleep in all over the house. She wonders if she has been outside because she will wake with mud on her feet. Her seven year old daugher states she found her mom in the living room walking in circles during the night and that she led her mom back to bed.
>
> She's been under a lot of strain. She works 12 hour days for two or three weeks in a row. Her husband can not see her (and hasn't so far, thank god.) He is charged with domestic abuse. She woke up with him on top of her as he choked her to unconsciousness three or four times. A week later he called the police when he cut her legs with butcher knives and said they had better come before he killed her. (Note: he called the police, not her.... probably the only good thing he has done.)
>
> On top of this, she probably has been drinking too much because she has trouble falling asleep. (She hasn't done that as much lately.)
>
> She also began zoloft in the last five weeks.
>
> Until the stress is reduced and he goes to prison (I hope), what is her best bet about the sleep walking? Stress can make sleep disorders worse. What can make them better?
>
> River.
I would suggest some kind of non-benzo sleep aid such as trazodone or Seroquel. She should definitely avoid Ambien, as this drug is notorious for causing these types of sleep events. I would also avoid Lunesta, Halcion, and the like. I have used alcohol myself as a sleep aid in the past, but it can be rather problematic.Todd
Posted by Phillipa on July 28, 2006, at 11:21:57
In reply to sleep walking... domestic abuse, posted by River1924 on July 28, 2006, at 1:00:48
That's horrible. I would imagine she may need to wait til he's in prison before she takes a sleep aid as she would want to be awake in case he comes there. But in the mean time she might want to see a good pdoc and therapist and take something for her nerves. She sounds like she's terrified. Love Phillipa
Posted by llrrrpp on July 28, 2006, at 23:17:30
In reply to Re: sleep walking... domestic abuse » River1924, posted by Phillipa on July 28, 2006, at 11:21:57
Wow- that's really tough. She needs all the support she can get, especially because she's about to become a single mom (if she's not filling that role already)
Seroquel is a nice sedative. it should help with anxiety she's having too, (I assume she has anxiety?)
Therapy will help her realize what's going on, and how she can deal with it effectively (more effectively than becoming a work-a-holic).
Poor thing. Do others at the office know? Can some of her close friends take turns cooking her dinners and helping out with basic life-maintenence until things are stabilized.
-ll
Posted by River1924 on July 29, 2006, at 0:59:47
In reply to Re: sleep walking... domestic abuse, posted by silvercoin on July 28, 2006, at 8:04:22
She isn't a workaholic because she wants to be... she has to support herself and three kids. He had never put much of his own wages toward the household expenses. Now, he won't help at all and all she wants him to do is stay away.
Luckily, she is a first generation American and she has an extended Mexican family who feel it is their job to help her through this... she may need to work a lot but family watches her kids for free and leaves a little money now and then. That is more than most women have... A lot of women lose their jobs because they don't have a babysitter. Plus, my work place let her have a family leave when the worst of it had taken place so she could get "her stuff" together a bit.
Still, do any drugs reduce sleepwalking or sleep paralysis..? Seroquel might be an option...
We'll see. Thanks for the support. Thanks for seeing her situation for what it is. It is just hard not to worry.
R.
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